Dying Embers
by his paper wings
Summary: Two years after Germany takes over both sides of the Gate, Roy Mustang's luck runs out. After finding their obsession with alchemy he hid his identity. Eventually, they find him and take him to a special camp where he finds a group of familiar faces EdRoy
1. The Flame Alchemist

**Dying Embers**

**Chapter 1****  
****The Flame Alchemist****  
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**chapter warnings: language, anime spoilers**

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comments: please understand that I'm a little bit out of my comfort zone here. My friend finally convinced me to write a RoyXEd fic. I've never attempted any yaoi pairings before and this also happens to be one of my first FMA stories. Oh and I 3 reviews XD

Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist or any of it's characters...at least not in this world

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The soft echo of footsteps on metal was unusually fast paced. Everyone knew something was about to happen. They'd grown accustomed to the slow, even march of footsteps that patrolled the camp each day, but these footsteps were wild and random. The scattered remains of families clung to one another, unwilling to be torn apart again. Everyone was tense; their eyes wild as they wondered what was going on. No, scratch that. It wasn't a question of what was going on…it was a question of who would be taken away.

Dark onyx eyes scanned the metal room, filled with nothing but filthy people in tattered clothes and a door without a handle. The owner of these eyes was even more alert than the rest. He could sense it…his luck had run out.

"Sir," came the quiet voice. Roy Mustang turned his gaze toward the blonde haired lieutenant. The time spent here had wiped away the professional edge to Riza's personality. Although she was less professional around him now, she wasn't broken like the rest of them. Together, somehow they'd kept their sanity and the bond between them had grown. For a split second her old self was back again, before it faded away into worry. She'd guessed it too.

He opened his mouth to respond when there was a loud beep. Instantly everyone in the room sprang back to the wall opposite the door. All accepted one man, who lay on the ground, moaning quietly.

The door sprang open and perhaps twenty men in uniforms formed a line between them and the door. Fear was written across almost everyone's face as one chocolate-haired man stepped ahead of the others. He had a smug, confident look on his face as he stared at them like they were dirt.

His cold, gray eyes found the man on the floor. He walked up to him and kicked him lightly. His face was disgusted as he stared down at the man. "Get up you worthless rat!" he snarled.

A terrible cough racked through the man's body as he tried to get up. He fell to the hard metal floor. He man motioned to one of the other soldiers. "Get this trash out of my sight!" The soldier instantly obeyed, picking up the man and hauling his weak body out of the room.

Those beetle like eyes scanned the room, glimmering with amusement. "We have reason to believe an _alchemist_ is hiding among you creatures!" Roy's eyes found his rank, right net to the all too familiar Nazi symbol. A General, just like he used to be…before these assholes showed up.

He very quietly stepped back into the group of his people and smirked as he realized how useful his hair was being. He'd hated its length up until now. He hadn't cut it since he'd gotten locked up in this hellhole and it had grown enough to hide most his facial features.

The General strolled closer to them, completely confident in himself. His eyes stared at them all, his eyes searching. He paused in front of Roy. Riza stiffened as he reached out and grabbed Roy's jaw.

Roy froze, knowing it wouldn't do him any good to loose his temper. It wasn't like he could burn the bastard to a crisp anyway…he needed gloves for that. The man turned his head, to look at him from all angles. Roy knew he was caught, but his eyes were defiant as he was examined.

Finally the man pulled back his hair to get a good look at his face and exposing Roy's throat. That was pushing it, and he instinctively responded snapping his fingers, bad mistake. The man smirked as nothing happened. "We've been looking for you, Flame Alchemist."

"Who?" asked Roy quietly, well-aware that his attempts would be pointless in the end.

"Don't play dumb Mustang," laughed the General as he walked out the door.

Roy couldn't help but to hope that this was over and all they wanted to do was confirm he was there. Having hope wasn't a very common thing these days…not since the Gate had opened. Roy shuddered as he remembered those the first time he saw the Germans…those strange flying machines coming out of the portal, and the bombs…

Alchemy was a powerful thing, but only so many people could control it, and even fewer could cause chaos like that and survive the consequences. They hadn't stood a chance against the damn Nazi and their strange technology.

One of said machines was placed before him and he lost all hope. They were all familiar with it by now…and with the side-effects of the gas that came out of it. The crowd shuffled nervously, wondering exactly what kind of gas that it contained. His eyes flashed with worry, but not for himself. He honestly didn't care about what happened to him, but he didn't want to be responsible for the death of all these people too.

By now the Nazi were gone and the machine was starting to release an odorless and colorless gas. Roy coughed as he instinctively put his hand up to cover his mouth and nose. After a little bit a soft thud distracted all of the panicky people, their eyes were draw to the child's limp body, morbidly curious. Then they started panicking even more.

One of them pointed at him and started babbling in some language he didn't understand, but he did recognize it. The German woman had dark hair and accusing eyes. The necklace around her neck told him the rest of the story. He didn't need to speak German to know that this was one of the Jewish people and she was blaming him for all this. The painful part was, she was right.

Then suddenly she collapsed too. All around him he watched the people fall, one by one, to their fate. Eventually, Roy fell to his knees, cursing softly. He spotted Hawkeye, lying on the floor before subconsciously deciding to crawl over to her. He felt lightheaded and his actions were slow and confusing, but eventually he did make it. It was getting harder to breathe and his breath was unsteady as he fumbled at her throat. The soft beat of her pulse against his skin sent relief through the man. Then he fell on top of her and slowly drifted away into eternal night.

When his heavy eyes finally opened he found he couldn't see anything. He panicked, wondering if he really had died. Then his eyes slowly adjusted to the sunlight and he relaxed. _Wait…the sun?_

He stared out the window as if he'd never seen the sun before…of course it'd been almost a year since he had. After awhile of marveling at the giant orb his eyes surveyed his surroundings, trying to figure out what the situation was.

He was alone in a small metal box with one window. The window had bars across it and judging by the scenery outside Roy guessed he was on the inside of a car. As soon as he realized that his heart sunk. What hell did they have set aside for him now?

His wrists were shackled, with very interesting shackles, specifically designed to keep arms apart. His stared down at the bar that held his hands at a distance. Didn't the Germans understand alchemy by now? In order to use it, alchemists needed a circle…well most alchemist anyway. If the alchemist caught in these had chalk, they would have no trouble drawing a circle.

He stiffened at the thoughts that flickered across his mind. No, that couldn't be possible… could it? Roy's mind sorted through the possibilities. Obviously the first alchemist the German's had ever encountered didn't use transmutation circles. He stopped right there and forced himself to think logically. The particular alchemist he was thinking of wasn't the only one who'd ever been through the Gate.

He could name three others ones right off the back, but still that didn't make sense. The Germans had come from beyond the Gate so…

Hope flared in his chest before it instantly died. Even if it had by some chance been Edward, that didn't mean it was a good thing. So he'd been alive when he reached the other side, but who knows what the Germans did with him?

His heart sank; surely Germany would have wanted to get rid of such a powerful enemy. Guilt clawed at his stomach at the thought. He felt more than a little responsible for the young man's disappearance more than three years ago. He should never have let Edward go alone. He should've been there to…

_Do what exactly?_ came the cruel voice from inside his head. He stared out the window, knowing the answer. The young girl Rose had told them all what had happened, how Ed had been unable to use alchemy because of what Al had become. That mean the same went for him. If he'd been there, he probably would've just gotten in the way, because without his flame…he was pretty much useless.

It hurt him to admit that, even to himself. It bothered him that he knew so little about alchemy, only bothering to learn the basics. As far as he had been concerned his fire was all he needed. Boy was he wrong. Even if he had something to draw a circle with he wouldn't have any clue which circle to draw. He scowled, swearing to himself if he survived all this he'd step out of his comfort zone and learn about other types of alchemy.

Suddenly a small piece of the wall slid outward, bringing in more light. He blinked at the window as a pair of eyes gleam in at him. "Oh Mr. Mustang…you're awake!"

The man seemed uncomfortable and his green eyes had a strangely familiar gold tint to them. Then his voice, it sounded familiar too…but at the same time it was different. Roy's own eyes blinked in confusion at the eyes as they stared back at him. Without even thinking he replied to the man, "It's just Roy."

Now he was confusing himself. Why did it matter that this stranger called him Roy? He didn't have an answer. If there was any consolation it was that now the strange man was also confused. Despite that he carried on in a slight too cheerful voice, "Whatever you say."

"Where are we headed?" Roy asked, trying to gather as much information as possible.

"Central."

"But…I thought…"

"Yeah most of it's just a pile of rubble now. But there's also a concentration camp there, designed specifically for alchemists like you." The man sounded like he didn't like this subject at all. His tone darkened and he could practically feel the man's negative emotions rolling off of him.

Roy leaned back against the wall of the vehicle before asking curiously. "How can you understand us anyway? Most of you Nazi can only understand German."

He heard the man shifting uncomfortably in the front. "I'm-"

"That's enough," came a second, deeper voice. "We're almost there."

The window slid shut, cutting off a protest from the first man. Roy glared at the window for another second before burying his head in his shackled hands. Of course, being surrounded by other alchemists was probably a good thing, but for all he knew he was being taken here just to be killed.

He wasn't ready to die quite yet, there was so much left he needed to do. Besides he was much too stubborn to go down without a fight…this might be his one and only chance to escape.

He carefully examined the shackles, trying to find a weak point. Frustration coursed through him as he realized there was no way he was breaking this without some sort of heavy object…or alchemy. He wasn't about to start banging it against the walls either…that would instantly alert the two men in the front.

He sighed, not liking this situation at all. His only choice would be to run for it once they opened the door. His chances of getting away with this were slim to none, but he had to try. His damn pride wouldn't let him simply give up.

Turns out he wouldn't even get that chance. When the car finally pulled to a stop and the back door open Roy let out a curse. He stared at the huge wall that now separated him from the outside world. The man who had opened the door smirked at him. "You didn't really think we'd give you the opportunity to run now did you? Not after all the trouble we went through to find you."

_Lucky me,_thought Roy, glaring at the man. "Where'd the other man go?"

The man shrugged. "Probably off to do some other job. I don't really know or really care either," he paused, staring at Roy. "You going to stand there all day or do I have to drag you out?"

His dark eyes flashed as he considered taking the later option, but his dignity wouldn't let him do it. He wasn't going to be dragged into this like some pathetic animal.

Walls surrounded the area and dead center, equal distance from all of them was a large building that clearly screamed prison at anyone who walked past. Barbed wire and chain-linked fences were everywhere. Roy pushed away the hopelessness that had taken hold of him. Nothing was perfect...there had to be a weak spot somewhere.

If there was he didn't see it on his way into the building. The place was totally made of metal and smelled sort of like a hospital. It was a lot like the last camp, with long corridors that led to nowhere but locked doors. Eventually he stood in front of one of these doors. The man fumbled with his shackles, releasing his wrists before pushing him in. He heard the door click shut as he stumbled forward.

As soon as he really looked he was proven wrong. This room was more than four times the size his previous cell had been and there were hardly any people here at all. What shocked him even more was that two of them were _fighting_ each other.

A girl whose light brown hair was pulled back into a messy ponytail was aiming all sorts of punches and kicks at her opponent. Roy's eyes found the tattoos on her palms, definitely and alchemist. Her opponent was a familiar blonde-haired boy with bright blue eyes. He barely noticed the blows as he ran forward, grabbing the girl's foot as she aimed a kick. He grinned at her before throwing her to the ground, "Sorry Suzume, but I think I won this time."

"A-Alphonse?" stammered Roy. The last time he'd seen the boy he'd been ordering him to leave the country and go into hiding. He didn't really have authority over Al, but he couldn't believe that he was in here...instead of looking for Ed.

The young man looked confused for a moment as Suzume stood up and stared at Roy with obvious dislike. "I don't believe we've met..." he said quietly, thinking, "Who are you exactly?"

"Roy Mustang," the flame alchemist spoke slowly, wondering if Al had lost his mind.

"Oh that explains it then! You must -" the boy was cut off by an all too familiar beeping sound.

He and Suzume exchanged glances the girl rolled her sky blue eyes, "Here we go again."

Everyone turned to stare at one point on the wall. After blinking at it for a few moments, Roy realized it was a door. At that moment the door swung open to reveal a shockingly familiar face. Roy's mouth dropped open. It was the man from the car who'd vanished earlier, but it definitely wasn't who he expected it to be.

His old friend looked bothered by something and that soon became apparent as a voice trailed into the room from the corridor. "What would Gracia be thinking if she could see you now Maes?"

Roy, normally so very good at hiding his emotions had shock written all over his face. There was no way he was going to be able to hide it either. "M-Maes?"

The room was dead quiet as he stared at the man who seemed determined not to meet his gaze. There was a suddenly movement outside that Roy wasn't even aware of. He didn't see the golden eyes widen before carefully composing themselves once more. He wasn't aware of anything but Maes until he heard the voice. "Hardly…he's Maes alright, but not the one you remember."

Roy's eyes snapped away from Maes and onto the man standing behind him. Slightly on the shorter side, with golden hair pulled back into a messy ponytail…was Edward.


	2. The Remaining Three

**Dying Embers**

**Chapter 2**

**The Three Remaining**

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Sorry another realitively slow chapter...but an important one more the less. Also it's shorter than the last one...because I'm a pathetic lazy person

oh and of course: I don't own FMA or any of it's characters...

but Suzume and Ian...they're ALL mine XD

warnings: Language and mean Nazi

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_Damn Nazi_

Why couldn't they leave him alone for once? You'd think after a few years they'd get bored with antagonizing some bratty teenager? That's what Ed had been hoping for at least, that they'd get bored and forget about him, but then again when did anything he ever hoped for happen?

Liquid amber stared at the man wearing a lab coat looking nervous. He was young, not much older than Ed. The young alchemist grinned at the man in an evil way. The man flinched and stared at him with wide, scared eyes.

Ed had quite a reputation; there wasn't a German scientist alive that didn't know the name Fullmetal. He found it amusing how they all reacted to him...this guy's reaction was typical. They _all_ reacted that way…at least until they found out he couldn't use alchemy without his arm.

"Are we done yet?" demanded Ed impatiently.

"No," came the short growl. A second man stood across the room reading a bunch of charts. He was in his mid-thirties and he was already starting to loose hair. The hair that was left was gray, matching his beady little eyes.

Ed's optics zeroed in on something in the "doctor's" hand. "Dr. Stewart?"

The man followed Ed's eyes and smirked, "What don't tell me you're afraid of a little needle."

No response came from the golden boy who stared away from his arm as the needle met his vein. To his relief no fire spread through his veins, this syringe was empty…unlike last time. Shuddering away the bad memories he stared at the syringe that now contained his blood.

"Don't you have enough of that?" he demanded, his tone pissed.

Softly squeaking the door of the metal "infirmary" slid open revealing an all too familiar face. Hughes looked guilty as usual, but Ed ignored that. His pity for the man had run out a long time ago. He grunted out a greeting, "Hughes."

Maes looked away, unaware of the doctor's disgusted face. Dr. Stewart and his new student just couldn't understand why their fellow German would be awkward in this situation.

The raven-haired man gave Ed and small nod and stepped out into the corridor. The young man followed to find three more Nazi whose names were Clark, Taylor, and Peterson. It was pretty pathetic that Ed knew their names…just another sign of how long he'd been kept in this hellhole.

Despite that he still wasn't trusted and for good reasons. He'd tried escaping more times than he cared to count. Each time he was punished by spending a week in the Quiet Room, if he was lucky. The Quiet Room was a small underground room with no light at all. While you were in there food and water were nothing but distant memories.

His foots followed the familiar route without any assistance from his mind, which was busy elsewhere. He was focusing on Hughes, who kept glancing back at him awkwardly.

After some time he locked his gaze with those green optics, "So Hughes how's she doing?" He looked confused so Ed clarified, "Gracia."

"Oh well…" he scratched the back of his head, nervous with talking to Ed and unable to answer the question.

"You haven't seen her in awhile, have you Maes?" When he got no response he continued. "You're an idiot to have let her go."

"Who said I let her go!?" demanded the man instantly defensive.

"Oh please, you lost Gracia the minute you betrayed Al and me," said Ed softly.

"I never…there's still…" the poor man fumbled for words, knowing he'd never find the right ones. What was he supposed to say to that anyway? He paused in front of a door, messing with the keypad next to it.

"Face it," sighed Ed. "Gracia cared about Al and me a lot and besides…what would Gracia be thinking if she could see you now Maes?"

He was waiting for a response, but in no way was expecting what the one he got. "M-Maes?"

Shock flickered across his face as he recognized the voice. Horror and comfort spread through his body at the same time. It was a strange sensation that felt good and bad at the same time. Clearing his confusion (and any other emotion) away Ed glanced around Mae's body before confirming the truth…Roy Mustang was here.

"Hardly…he's Maes alright, but not the one you remember."

Roy's head jerked up, he hadn't even noticed Ed until then. Hurt flared unreasonably in Ed's stomach as he realized this and he wasn't quite sure why. Roy's dark eyes shifted over his body, making him feel self conscious as the paused at where his auto-mail arm used to be and on his forehead.

Resisting the urge to cover his head Ed's eyes traveled over the man he hadn't seen in almost four years. His long hair was wild and messy and it covered most of his face. He obviously hadn't shaved for awhile either and judging but the conditions of his clothes he probably hadn't showered for awhile. "E-Edward?"

Years ago Ed would've laughed at Mustang's expression. Confusion and shock had finally wormed its way out from underneath his commanding officer's carefully composed mask of emotions. Instead he found himself feeling something quite different. He could barely believe it himself, but he_ pitied_ Mustang.

"Come on Roy! Did you honestly expect me to go off and die on you?" demanded Ed. "Give me a little credit!"

The calm mask instantly slid back over the man's face as Ed spoke. "Well Fullmetal I was also under the impression that Lieutenant Hughes was also dead."

"Dead?" asked Hughes nervously, reverting to German.

"Not you idiot," replied Ed in fluent German.

"That's it!" hissed Clark. Suddenly his hand was inside of Ed's auto-mail port. With a quick yank Ed hissed in pain as he fell to his knees. "I've listened to you disrespect him for too long you impure lab rat!"

"Bastard," whispered Edward, glaring up at the man. He was rewarded with another tug on the cords within his port.

"Enough Clark," growled Taylor, sending Ed a quick sympathetic glance. "You have no idea what that could do to him and you know the higher-ups won't be pleased if he dies."

He hesistated for a second and then stalked out of the room, his companions at his heels. Hughes followed last, casting Ed on long, guilty look before following his fellow Nazi.

As soon as the door slid shut Ed was attempting to stand. Alfonse was instantly at his side, attempting to help him stand. Everyone else looked horrified and confused…the entire incident had been spoken in German.

Pain glinted, barely noticeable behind Ed's golden iris as he turned to speak to Mustang. "That is the _other _Hughes."

Alfonse flinched at the way Ed spoke, but said nothing. Roy on the other-hand was confused, "Other?"

Ed sighed, leaning against Alfonse as he told the tale of what had happened when he passed through the Gate. By the time he was finished, everyone was sitting with their backs against the wall, listening. "Hitler was amazed with the concept of alchemy, so he turned his attention to this side of the Gate. Well…you know what happens next. Basically Al here pushed me into a rocket and through the Gate. I came back and tracked down Hitler and his army. Obviously I failed in trying to stop them," finished Ed.

The entire time he'd been staring at Roy, watching his reactions carefully. The man kept his expression blank, but his eyes were a different matter. All shorts of emotions were visible just beyond those black orbs. He was kind of nervous actually…what would the man say? Would he blame Ed for all this? Would he hate him?

The thought pained him. For some reason the statement Roy Mustang hates Edward Elric bothered him. Why was that again?

Then the older alchemist spoke, jolting him out of his thoughts and completely surprising him. "What's with your…um…head?"

Self-consciously his hand rose up and started tracing the scars there. His eyes darkened and his tone was quiet and deadly as he replied, "Hitler's way of trying to show he's the one in control here."

The girl who'd been fighting with Alfonse when Roy had arrived rolled the sleeve of her arm up to reveal the same mark Ed had on his forehead on her shoulder, a swastika. The arms of the symbols were about half an inch wide and carved just as deeply into her skin. On her wrist was a tattoo of the numbers 194021. "After Ed tried assassinating that bastard Hitler took a… um…great liking toward him. He was fascinated with Ed's alchemy and wanted it for himself. The result of their encounter ended up with Hitler determined to make Ed join the Nazi."

"When I refused I got this," sighed Ed, pointing to his head.

"The original ten that were here have these marks as well," said Suzume quietly.

"Too bad there are only three of us left," said a soft voice. It came from a man with brownish-red hair. His eyes were bright green and he couldn't have been older than 25.

Suzume's welcoming smile was tainted with sadness. "Ian this is Roy Mustang…he's a um…friend of Ed's."

Ian nodded in acknowledgement at Roy who looked reluctant. Ed stared at him curiously as the man hesitated before the question fell off his tongue. "What happened to the other seven?"

All three of the alchemist reacted in a different way, but each action gave off a clear message: the past was painful. Ian's fists tightened so hard that his knuckles turned white. Suzume stared at the ground as her arms subconsciously found their way to cradle her body. Ed could feel the pain spreading through his body as it remembered those first few months. From Mustang's reaction he could tell his expression wasn't a pretty one.

He felt Alfonse's palm putting a comforting pressure on his good shoulder. Ed shot him a grateful glance before answering, his voice toneless. "They all died."


	3. The Human Magnet

**Dying Embers**

**Chapter 3**

**The Human Magnet**

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Okay sorry this took so long but I'm working on four stories right now. Anyway hope you guys like this chapter.

Warnings: Language

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Roy was used to the physicals by now. The military had always required them…and even if they hadn't the Germans had invaded his privacy on more than one occasion. This one was worse than the others. Why'd the need to know his heart rate or his blood type? Why did it matter that he was left handed? Still it didn't bother him very much and he was grateful for the haircut that came with it. Then there was the fact that he was too distracted to realize it was even occurring.

No matter how hard he tried Roy couldn't get Fullmetal's face out of his head. When he'd asked that question the look on that young face had been unbearable. He'd barely resisted the urge to wipe it off his face somehow. It bothered him that he'd been the one to cause that look. Ed had been through a lot in his life and who was he to remind him of it?

Still, he was fueled by curiosity. He'd known before he'd even asked that the fate of the seven had not been good, but he hadn't expected it to have been quite so cruel. Now he was desperate to know what he was up against. How had they died? Would he have to go through the same thing? Would he be branded to?

Just thinking of the brand sent sparks of anger through his veins. He knew that it must have bothered Ed more than he was showing. Hitler had known Ed well enough to realize that there was nothing that would bother the alchemist more. That concerned Roy as well. Had they interacted before this had all started?

He wanted answers, ones he knew Fullmetal wouldn't give him. None the less he needed those answers if he was ever going to get out of here. The problem was…who to ask? He was almost sure that this Alfonse wasn't going to be any more helpful than Ed. Ian didn't strike him as the talkative type and Suzume…

Well he did have a reputation as a womanizer, maybe he could…

His thoughts were jolted back to present as an older doctor coughed loudly. He stared at the man, who'd introduced himself as Dr. Stewart earlier, dumbly for a few minutes. "What?"

"Do you want these or not?" he demanded impatiently.

Roy's eyes zeroed in on the man's hands. "Yes!" he said instantly, taking the gloves out of the doctor's hands. He instantly slipped them onto his hands as a comforting feel spread through his body. Funny, Roy Mustang the Flame Alchemist had a comfort blanket.

"Then you can go," said the man curtly before turning back to his business.

It wasn't until he was back in the room with the other alchemists that Roy realized how strange this was. They were giving him a weapon? He stared at the gloves, they certainly looked just like his old ones and the circle wasn't faulty.

Very slowly he snapped his figures and let the alchemy flow into the gloves. Sure enough, flame sprouted to life. Every eye in the place turned to him as he played with the gloves.

Roy sighed as the flame disappeared…it had filled him with power and now he was starting to feel more like his old self. He turned over to look at Ed who had suddenly stopped speaking. He was curious firstly because his subordinate had been speaking to Alfonse in German, secondly because of the way Ed was staring at him. "What?"

"They want to observe you," he explained as Roy walked over to him. "Our purpose here is to help them understand alchemy. Obviously they can't do that if they totally take away our alchemy."

Roy stared at the man, his eyes hovering over the empty space that an auto-mail arm used to occupy. "Then why…?"

Ed cut him off, knowing where this was going. "They give it back sometimes, but they learned real quickly that it was a mistake to leave me armed for too long." (**1**)

"I see…so that's why nothing happened when Suzume and Alfonse were fighting earlier!" realized Roy. He suddenly felt very uneasy...he was being watched?

"They encourage fighting here," said Ed his tone a bit dark.

Roy opened his mouth to respond when suddenly he spotted the person he had been looking for. "Hold on a sec Fullmetal."

He walked past a rather annoyed looking Ed toward the light brown haired alchemist. She was leaning against one of the walls, deep in thought. He smoothed his face into the smug mask that he used to wear all the time. Now it felt strange, like it didn't belong on his face anymore. What happened to the days where he could call it up without a second thought?

Just because it felt strange didn't mean he couldn't do it. By the time he was in front of her the mask was set firmly in place. He leaned against the wall and smiled at her.

Before he could even open his mouth Suzume glared at him. "Don't even try it. I know all about you and your ways. This isn't exactly the ideal place to have a relationship with someone. Besides I doubt that's what you want."

He stared at her shocked for a moment. "How do you…?"

"Oh come on Colonel Bastard I thought you were supposed to be smart," said Suzume.

Annoyance flickered through his system at the comment. At the same time he realized what she meant. _Damn you Ed! _The brat always seemed to find a way to make his life more difficult. Still a smirk was forming on his face. "So Ed talked about me huh?"

"Two years is a long time," replied Suzume, her eyes narrowing. "So what do you want?"

Laughing quietly Roy put his hands in his pockets and stared up at the ceiling. "You're rather blunt aren't you?"

"I just don't want to waste my time on someone like you."

"Ed must really hate me."

"No..." Suzume instantly snapped her mouth shut and looked away.

Roy looked at her curiously. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing!" she said quickly, her tone defensive.

What had Ed told her? Roy had to admit he was more than a little curious to figure out what Ed thought of him. Still the answer to why he cared was much more puzzling.

Suzume used his silence to change the subject. "Either you tell me what you want or I'm leaving."

Roy sighed, once again having his thoughts about Ed interrupted. He stared at Suzume, his onyx eyes serious. "I need you to tell me what I'm up against."

"What exactly do you mean?" asked Suzume, her annoyance from earlier wearing off.

"How did…well what goes on in this place? What happened here that caused seven alchemists to die?"

He instantly knew he had made an error. Suzume's face shadowed over with pain. Roy paused before reaching a hand out toward her. "I'm sorry it's just…"

As soon as he moved the pain turned into anger. "What happened here is none of your concern nor will it ever be! You have no right to know what we have or haven't been through. I will not tell you, and if either Ed or Ian tells you I'll kill them both! If you know what's good for you, you'll keep your nose out of other people's business and forget we even mentioned it in the first place."

Roy stared at her shocked. Where had that come from? He'd been expecting the pain…but the anger was something totally different. What had happened here?

Ed had been watching the entire scene from where Roy had left him. He pushed himself off the wall and grabbed Suzume as she passed. He whispered something to her that made her pull away from her. "Quit acting like you care!" she shouted at him.

He tightened his grip. "Suzume you know me better than that! It wasn't Roy's fault he didn't know…"

"So now you're taking his side!" she hissed at him, her hands connecting with the walls behind him. Roy felt a strange stab of jealousy before he realized she wasn't hugging him. Her alchemy gave of a flash of light as a loud bang echoed through the now silent room.

When he could see again he noticed Ed pinned against the wall, cursing at Suzume. "Why don't you just tell him everything Ed? You wouldn't answer him either!"

"I never said you should tell him," said Ed, struggling to keep his voice calm. What had happened to his famous temper? "But you don't need to make a scene out of it!"

"Hypocrite!" hissed Suzume, echoing Roy's own thoughts.

"All you're doing is making him more curious! Now that you've reacted he'll never let it go!" said Ed, ignoring her comment.

Roy was surprised that Ed realized that much about him. It gave him a warm feeling inside that instantly evaporated when Suzume opened her mouth again.

"You're just worried about your damn reputation!"

Ed and Roy both stared at her shocked and speechless. Didn't she know him better than that? Edward Elric worried about reputation. Roy would've laughed, if not for the look on Ed's face.

"Suzume that's enough," said Ian quietly. By now he and Alfonse had come up to the group and pushed Suzume away from Ed.

Ian's touch seemed to calm her considerably…or at least enough to stalk away and not hit Ed in the face.

Ian stared after her for a moment before running off after her, calling her name.

Ed blinked dully for a few moments before glaring around at everyone. "Well someone help me!"

"What did she do?" asked Roy after a slight hesitation, failing to see anything that was keeping Ed from moving.

Ed looked a bit embarrassed as he stared at Roy with a trace of defiance. "Well um…"

"She turned to wall into a magnet," informed Alfonse, looking like he was trying to not laugh.

Roy blinked slowly as he took in those words. He then smirked evilly at Edward. Why hadn't he thought of that before? "She's a genius."

"Ha ha very funny," scowled Ed, glaring at him. "Don't you be getting any ideas!"

"Now what makes you think I'd do that?" asked Roy innocently.

"Bastard."

"You should really be nicer to me," said Roy, very clearly enjoying himself.

"Why's that?" demanded Ed.

"Well let's see…you're stuck against a wall unable to use alchemy…" said Roy. "And I could just leave you there…"

"You're evil," announced Ed.

"Thank you, thank you," said Roy bowing sarcastically.

Alfonse smiled at the pair before quietly backing away. "Good luck with that Ed."

"Traitor!" hissed Ed and the German ran off across the room.

"Where are they all going?" asked Roy curiously.

"Probably to get food," replied the trapped alchemist. "Or at least what they call food."

"Okay I've decided."

"Decided what?"

Roy smirked at him. "I'll let you go but first…" He paused as Edward glared at him "Fine stay there, now I'm going to go get some food."

He turned to walk away, smiling to himself as he counted down in his head. Right on cue Ed's angry voice called after him. "What do you want!?"

Roy instantly turned around and made his way over to Ed. "You tell me everything."

Ed didn't need any more clarification than that. "I'll just wait for Ian to come back…"

"Seems to me he's on _her_ side," said Roy, leaning casually against the wall. "Besides I'd burn anyone before they got close enough."

"You want to know that badly?"

"What if it happens to me?" asked Roy.

"It won't."

"You don't know that."

"Dammit Mustang let me go!"

"After you tell me what I'm up against," said Roy. He was smiling for the first time in ages and it felt good. He was actually having fun…for the first time since well since Ed had disappeared. It wasn't until after the blonde had left that Roy had realized he enjoyed bickering with Edward.

"I hate you," hissed Ed suddenly, causing Roy's heart to jump.

"No you don't."

"Yes I do," insisted Ed.

"Not according to Suzume," teased Roy.

Ed stared at him, his mouth opening and closing uselessly as he stared at him. "What did she say?" he eventually managed to spit out.

"Wouldn't you like to know," smirked Roy.

Ed stared at him wordlessly, his eyes momentarily filling with panic. "If she…"

"What you so worried about me finding out anyway?" asked Roy a bit nervously.

His face flushed a bright red color as he looked away from Roy. "Do you want you're story or not!?"

Roy would've much rather kept this discussion, but his want and needs were conflicting with himself. He needed to know this in order to protect himself, yet he found himself desperately wanting to hear what Ed was hiding. "Fine, but don't think I'm done with you yet."

* * *

(1) no pun intended

So yeah before I wrote this I always wondered what happened if you put Ed in a magnetic room...interesting thought. Next you'll get to find out what exactly happened I promise XD

Reviews are nice by the way


	4. The Will to Live

**Dying Embers**

**Chapter 4**

**The Will to Live**

* * *

Okay sorry this took so long but the evil villain known as writer's block took my brain captive for a little while. Not to mention school's been a pain. I appreciate the reviews and alerts. I can't believe so many people are actually interested in this. Oh and my friend Allie who's sitting here says hi…she's a bit loopy right now but well…that's just Allie for you. *sighs* Anyway enjoy.

warnings: language, abuse of human rights, and nudity [nothing descriptive]

* * *

Fumbling at the collar of his gray clothes Edward tightened his grip on a small, oval object. He held it tenderly as if it meant the world to him as he gently lifted it off of his neck.

The instantly he touched it a surge of alchemy jolted through him, reawakening his senses and healing the damage the Nazis had done to his auto-mail port. Very carefully he placed it in Roy's palm, never letting go of the chain. Roy stared at it curiously then turned it over to examine what was carved on the inside. "Who…?"

Ed instantly attempted to return it to his neck, which was very hard to do when you had one arm and were magnetically pinned to the wall. Roy stared at him struggling for a few seconds, looking torn, before finally reaching over to help.

His heartbeat increased drastically at the closeness of his commanding officer and he fought to keep his face from turning red as Roy returned the necklace to its rightful place. Speaking of embrassement he made a mental note to have a little chat with Suzume…once she cooled down of course.

It was her fault he was in this situation anyway. "Listen Roy…I'm only going to tell you this once…" he trailed off and locked his gaze with Mustang's.

The man nodded, noticing Ed's dark mood.

"It all started with the tests…"

* * *

His throat was like sandpaper. How long had it been since he'd had anything to drink? Surely he should be dead by now. Part of him wished he was. He just wanted the aches to go away. He was tired of his stomach's painful pleas for food, tired of those damn Nazi toying with him.

Every right he had once had was now gone. Each and every one of them had been violated. To them he was nothing more than a household pest. The only difference was that there would be no quick end. No…if there was any end at all it would be long and painful, that much he was sure of.

Still if there was one benefit to being so weak it was that he was numb. The joy he would have felt at being let out of his cell was absent. Not to mention the shame and anger whenever he was stripped of his clothes and pushed into the next room_._

He did manage to feel shock as he stared dully at the others. The nine humans before him more closely resembled living skeletons than people. He could count each an every rib in the room, without even trying.

Somehow they were all on their feet, even though he knew their legs (like his) probably felt like jello if anything at all. All except one of them, and the sight made his heart fall to his knees.

He slowly made his way over to Suzume, who was holding the little girl. Suzume was shaking with the effort, even though the girl was little more than skin and bones. Ignoring his body's protests he forced himself to hurry. "Suzume?" he asked, his voice rough from lack of use.

She looked at him with tear-filled eyes. His own fears where confirmed by that look. Precious water threatened to pour over his eyes as he turned to look at the six year old. What had happened to the lively, innocent child he'd grown to love? Why did she of all people have to go through this? "I'm sorry Nikki."

"S'okay Eddie…" the little girl replied weakly. Her frail smile broke his heart in two as she spoke. "Mommy will be waiting for me." He racked his brain for something, anything to say to the dying girl. What were you supposed to do…lie and say everything was going to be okay? All he could do was repeat his apology.

"Eddie? When you get out of here…can you find Daddy? Could you give this to him please?" she managed to ask as she fumbled with the gold chain around her skinny neck.

"Don't waste your energy," he begged her.

"Please it won't matter, just tell him I tried," she whispered, pressing the locket against his palm.

Edward hesitated before wrapping his hand tightly around the golden oval. He was wrong…there was nothing little about her. Nikki had been forced to grown up in order to survive…and it was all his fault. This was the least he could do for her. "Okay."

"Thank you," she breathed, not letting go of the chain. Her eyes dulled before closing slowly. A soft, comforting glow radiated from her hands, and onto the locket. It filled the room, reflecting brightly in sorrow-filled eyes.

As the light died an eerie silence settled over the group. Nobody dared to breathe…not until the hand on the locket fell limply away.

Before anyone could fully react the voice of a Nazi echoed through the room, "Line up vermin!"

Ed paused, long enough to brush the little girl's brown hair out of her limp face, before walking over to his place. Three Nazi walked into the room and stood before the group.

They made their way down the line, inspecting their bodies. Ed's own body was surging with emotion as he forced himself not to cry. Not only did he need what little water his body had…but he refused to cry in the presence of his captors.

Not soon enough, Ed's turn was done. Even after his information was written down, he was tense. What would they do when they came to Suzume?

A scream answered his question. "No!" Suzume cling to the limp body with a surprising amount of strength. One of the three Nazi men was attempting to pull Nikki away from her.

"Let go you little bitch!" one of his companions snarled, knocking Suzume to the floor. As the first man left with the body (he couldn't bare to think of it as Nikki) the second turned on Suzume, kicking her in the side.

Ed forced himself not to defend her, knowing it would only make it worse for the both of them. Beside him a younger boy jolted forward, only to be blocked by Ed's outstretched hand. His bright blue eyes stared at Ed defiantly, as Ed whispered, "Don't let her be the second, Kotaka."

He got no response, but the boy did not move…and his eyes never left Ed's. Together they stood silent, forcing the other not to help Suzume. Not a word was spoken between the two, but both of them knew the other was trying not to cry.

* * *

Mustang was stared at him with horror-filled eyes; he could feel the eyes on the top of his cranium as he clung to the locket subconsciously. He ran his thumb over the words Nikki had used the last of her energy to carve into the gold. _Never Too Late to Hope_

"They starved you…?" whispered Mustang.

"It was part of a series of endurance tests," Ed replied softly looking up into the horror-filled orbs. "Starvation and Dehydration, Stress, Pain…the list goes on and on. Most of them happened during the first six months. No one else died until after that…"

"But why would they…they're only children," snarled Mustang his eyes angry.

"Haven't you realized that they don't view us as humans? It doesn't matter to them…Nikki was six, Kotaka was nine…but they were the youngest, followed by Suzume and me," said Ed bitterly. "Kotaka was Suzume's little brother."

"And so she's defensive about it because he died," assumed Mustang.

"Not exactly…"

Ed's heart beat was already louder and faster than normal. He hated reliving this…hating having to tell Roy what he'd done. In his mind all this would always be his fault. If he and his father had never passed through the Gate then none of this would have ever happened. The German's portal wouldn't have opened and everything would be fine…other than the fact that Al would be a suit of armor.

"Ed I'm sorry," said Mustang suddenly, jolting Ed out of his thoughts.

"Hmm…what for?" asked Ed, confused.

Roy looked uneasy, "I shouldn't have made you relive that."

Ed laughed a bit darkly at that. Like he didn't relive it every night anyway, but of course Roy didn't need to know about his nightmares. "You might need to know this so don't feel bad. Besides it'll help you understand why we're all a bit edgy…"

"I still…"

"Roy, you haven't even heard the worst yet…are you sure you want to?" he asked, surprised. He hadn't expected the story to affect Roy quite like this; even if it was terrible…maybe the bastard wasn't quite so heartless.

"Only if you want to tell it," responded Roy quickly.

"I need to…I think," admitted Ed sounding uncertain. "Even so you do need to know…about the drug."

"The drug?"

"After the last test…the pain endurance," Ed paused to flinch. "They gave us a month to recover and then hell started."

* * *

The group of nine was corralled into another empty room. By now they knew not to question the point of this, they all knew they'd receive no answer. Still this time there was something different. All of them seemed even edgier than usual.

Of course after what they'd been through last time, no one would blame them.

Acting by instinct they all grouped together. Each and every person in the room was close…it was impossible not to be. Necessity and survival instincts could sometimes forge stronger bonds than love.

There was the soft sound of a door sliding open and Suzume took a step forward subconsciously putting herself between her little brother and the door. Kotaka on the other hand realized this instantly and stepped forward to stand by her side.

The usual presence of Nazi uniforms was absent, replaced by white lab coats. Everyone in the room exchanged glances, uneasy at the change. One or two of them looked hopeful, after all nothing could be worse than Nazi…right?

The man in the center of them seemed to be in charge. Dr. Stewart stared at the people with his small beady eyes. For once he looked excited, and quite frankly that disturbed Ed.

"Dumb Jews…don't know a thing." He mumbled quietly to himself. He slowly began to pace the room, smirking slightly at them all. "You're all going to take part in a little experiment…"

Instantly the tension in the room grew as the meaning of those words sunk in. They were about to become lab rats…their last rights to humanity were being taken away.

Dr. Stewart stopped, right in front of Ed and stared down at the rather small man. "I'm sure you wouldn't mind volunteering to go first?" he asked quietly.

Over time Ed and Dr. Stewart had developed one of those "love-hate" relationships…hate being the dominate emotion. They'd seen more than enough of each other and would gladly jump at the chance to wring the other's neck.

Defiance flared in those golden eyes as they stared back at the aging man. "Gladly," he said, holding his head high.

Beside him everyone else froze and stared at him as if he were insane. Still, he'd rather get this over and done with than having to deal with suspense of waiting. Dr. Stewart's shock faded away to amusement. "Very well Edward, if you'd follow me."

He paused and glanced over his shoulder at the group of worried people. He smiled a bit sadly at them before shrugging and following the doctor into the next room.

Once he was in the next room, the door clicked shut ominously. The first thing he spotted was the table. Dr. Stewart saw his expression and sighed. "We can do this the easy way or the hard way."

Ed's eyes narrowed at the man, knowing he had no choice at this point. He sat down on the hospital bed and watched as the man restrained his legs with the leather belts attached to the ends.

He did not resist until the man attempted to push him onto his back. He put pressure against the hand and was rewarded with a punch in the gut, which sent him back onto the bed. By the time Dr. Stewart was done binding him Ed was far from a happy camper.

"Why is this necessary?" he growled at the man.

"We're not taking any chances with you Fullmetal," responded Dr. Stewart as he checked the security of the restraints. Once he was satisfied the scientist stood up and walked over to the counter.

When he returned he was holding a rather threatening looking syringe. Ed's unexplainable fear of needles decided to rear its ugly head and the doctor smirked at the obvious panic on Edward's face. "Well then let's get started."

The needle pierced his skin without warning. He was prepared for the usual prick but what followed was totally unexpected. The instant the contents of the syringe entered his system a fiery pain shot through his veins.

His spine arched up as he gritted his teeth to keep from crying out. What the hell was this stuff? What was the point in this pain? Was this what it felt like to die? Endless questions flashed through his mind.

It was growing, spreading from the sight of injection to the rest of his body. He fought against screaming, the others would hear and panic...he had to…

That's when pain overran all his thoughts. They slipped away and as they did his self control. He couldn't help it any long…he gave in and started screaming. Still the fire inside of him did not die, and continued to burn his insides to ash.

Never before had the desire to die come upon him so strong, but at that moment there was nothing Edward Elric wanted more than for the pain to end. Despite all the terrible things that had occurred in his young life he'd always had a reason to live. At that moment, he couldn't remember what it was.

* * *

Yeah I know another cliffhanger…sorry guys. I also apologize if it's confusing...all the flashbacks a stuff...


	5. The Drug

**Dying Embers**

**Chapter 5**

**The Drug**

* * *

Yay vacation! Review and I'll update sooner! *dances* I'm in such and good mood...finally I get to bring in-

_SHHH!!! you'll ruin the story!_

...OH LOOK DOGGIE *pets*

_Ugh! Not again! Sorry guys but the author's gone a little crazy. Just ignore her!_

MOUNTAIN DEW SHALL CONQUER ALL!

_Erm...right...you keep telling yourself that uh...anyway onto the story before she can do something really crazy! *drags her off to work onto other story*_

But wait you forgot the warnings!

_FINE! warnings: language...happy?_

That depends...you still gunna make me work?

_Most definitely *carries her off to other story*_

* * *

Roy found it difficult to keep his famous mask of calm from shattering. Horror and shock gripped him as he listened to Edward's tale. To him it had always seems like the young man was a survivor. From the start he'd seen the determination in those eyes and had thought nothing could break him. Apparently he'd been wrong.

The pain must've been unbearable for it to make Edward wish for an escape. Even thinking about it made him shudder, but he did not. He knew that wouldn't help his former subordinate relive the past. It wasn't like Roy could reach back through time and prevent this from happening. Somehow he knew if it were possible he'd do it.

It pained him to see Ed this way. Broken and defeated…completely different from his usual self. Before now he'd always been the one to challenge the impossible and win…but it seemed even he had his limits.

If there was one good thing it was that Ed had survived. Despite the agony he still lived on and he seemed to be his normal old self on the outside. Of course Mustang knew personally that it was possible to hide a shattered spirit behind a mask. He had done the same for years after Ishbal. It was hard to do…but if anyone could accomplish that it'd be the man before him.

Edward's golden optics were locked onto Mustang, studying his emotions. It was strange to see him so observant considering most of his memories were of a bratty teenager who could focus on nothing but yelling. How had he missed the probe of those eyes over all the years?

Roy cleared his throat nervously before opening his mouth to ask. Before he could speak he was distracted by a loud rumbling sound. He couldn't help it…he smirked. "Hungry?"

"Only a lot," said Ed a bit more like his old self. Still he couldn't quite keep the gloom and anger out of his voice.

"Well then how about we get some food before we continue?" asked Roy generously. He laughed at the shock that flickered across Ed's face. "I do have a heart you know."

Edward laughed sarcastically at Roy as the man turned to the wall and frowned. "What's wrong?"

Roy shuffled, embarrassed. He couldn't believe this; once again his knowledge of alchemy was failing him and in front of Fullmetal! He'd never live his down. "I don't know the circle…" he admitted looking away.

Edward stared at him with wide eyes for a moment. A wide variety of emotions flickered across the man's face before he settled on annoyed amusement, "So much for the mighty Flame Alchemist."

"Hey! I'd like to see you try to handle a flame," hissed Roy defensively. That shut Edward up real fast. Roy smirked in amusement at the look on his face, "Judging by that look you've tried it."

"Once or twice…" muttered Edward before quickly launching into a description of the correct circle.

As soon as Edward was freed from the wall he pushed himself up and started to walk over to the door the others had vanished behind. As he stalked off Roy followed. "That's another story you need to tell me."

"What…?" asked Ed absentmindedly as he received a gray mush called food.

"You and fire," said Roy he received his own portion of food. He wrinkled his nose at the disgusting slop. And he'd thought the food at the other camp was bad!

As they made their way to a table Roy was reminded of the Mess Hall at military headquarters. The aura was the same even thought the situations were totally different. He sat down across from Ed and watched the kid devour the food before him. Well some things never changed.

Roy turned and stared down at his own meal before warily spearing some of it with his fork. He held it up to his nose to sniff it only to be rewarded with a gag reflex. He sighed and put the fork back down. Ed had finished his own slop and now his eyes were on Roy's tray. The Flame Alchemist rolled his eyes before pushing his tray toward the younger man. "Dig in."

Without hesitation Ed dug into that mush as well. As soon as it was gone Ed grinned at Mustang. "You'll get used to it."

"Is this all you eat?" asked Mustang horrified.

"Like I said you'll get used to it." Ed's tone was quiet and Mustang could tell he was about to launch into his unfinished story once more. He could've told him to stop…and part of him desperately wanted to, but he knew he needed to know. Besides Ed might just need to tell this story, just like Roy had needed to tell his to Maes.

"The pain was unimaginable," whispered Ed. "Worse than auto-mail…worse than anything. It felt like there were thousands of insects crawling through my skin, eating me alive from the inside. Eventually I couldn't scream anymore. I only had enough energy to keep my vitals working. One by one they were all injected and the screaming would start again. We were attached to medical machines and the heart monitors were going crazy. Then the first one died into a long drawn out beep…then nothing. Four of us died. I almost did myself actually, but somehow those doctors kept me alive."

Roy blinked slowly at Edward's words. He didn't need to know, in fact it would probably be better for him if he didn't, but some sick morbid part of him wanted to. Before he could stop himself he asked. "Did you want them to?"

Ed looked up at him sadly and asked a question of his own, "Would you want them to? I didn't know when the pain would end. It never dimmed and just kept growing and growing. Even after days passed it remained…minutes seemed like hours and hours like years…"

Roy didn't answer Ed, choosing instead to fiddle with his gloves. He absently rubbed his thumb over them in a calming, rhythmic motion. "So why did they…?"

"Drug us? We're their lab rats remember. They wanted to see if it worked," explained Ed bitterly. "It did…on the ones that survived anyway."

"What was it supposed to do?" asked Roy curiously.

Edward smirked a bit sadly at him and stood up before leading him back into another room, "I'll show you."

* * *

One thing about deserts...the sunset was beautiful. The blackness about fading into the dying orange that blended in with the sand was truly amazing, not that it made him want to stay. No...nothing could prevent him from leaving now. He'd been a good little boy and waited for more than a year. He'd followed orders, even if he hadn't been required to, and had gone into hiding with the others. Mustang had lost his chance at freedom to allow his escape. With that in mind he'd waited, but now he was done with that.

The rebellious side of him had sparked up. It was a side rarely seen of him, but without Ed around someone had to be the impulsive one. In truth without Ed he was a totally different person. Without Ed to be reckless and temperamental Alphonse lost a bit of his charm and good-nature. When he had no one to stop from fighting he got a bit edgy himself. In other words he and his brother were more alike than most thought.

So the Ed in him finally decided to kick in and he'd come up with a plan...a plan that everyone else approved of. Currently any Amestrian who had somehow escaped the Nazi had relocated to Xing, including what was left of the military. He'd finally convinced them to let him go through with this and currently his nerves were tingling with excitement.

There was just one downside. One that gave him a very good reason to stay. Winry. He wasn't going to lie he was attracted to her, even though physically he was so much younger than her. Mentally they were separated by a year...that was all that counted right? He hoped so, considering his hormones went crazy every time they were in the same room. He couldn't ever remember feeling so shy and awkward, especially around her! He also found it difficult to stay away from her. He has asked himself on multiple occasions if it was possible for a person to be a drug. The answer was always yes. That's what she was...a drug...and he just couldn't get enough of her. He hated it, but it loved it all at the same time.

Currently she stood beside him glaring at him. "I don't like this."

He smiled at her, "I know...but I've got to do this."

"It doesn't have to be you!"

"It would bother me if it wasn't," he shot back. They glared daggers at each other and he cringed inwardly as her fingers twitched toward her wrench.

"But...you don't even know if it'll work," she whispered suddenly.

The emotion in her voice shocked him so he stuttered in his reply. "S-since when have the odds ever been on my side? Brother did the impossible to save me...now it's my turn."

Winry stared up at him, tears glistening in her eyes. He barely had time to register that fact before Winry clung to him. He almost fell when she tackled him, but steadied himself just in time to stop them both from falling. She held him tight as his arms fell awkwardly around her. "Just don't do anything stupid alright!"

He laughed nervously, hugging her closer. "I think you're confusing me with Ed," he joked lamely.

She stared up at him, not bothering to hide her tears anymore. Her face melted into one of amused anger. "This is serious!"

"I know," he sighed. "Don't worry about me ok Win?"

"You better be careful," she said threateningly. "Or else."

"Or else what?"

"Hopefully you never find out," she said as she pulled herself away. He suddenly felt very empty inside...holding her had made him feel so warm and nice. "Just please come back."

"I will," he promised smiling sheepishly before he turned to walk away. "And when I do I won't be alone!"

* * *

Riza Hawkeye sat peacefully leaning against the wall. At least that's the way it appeared. Deep down she was filled with worry. After waking up with Roy gone she'd instantly panicked. What had happened to him? Was he still alive? What was she supposed to do now? Beyond the worry there was a deep sense of failure. For the longest time her life had been centered around protecting (or threatening) that man. This was the first time she'd been away from his side permanently in years. She'd utterly failed him...and not only that now she felt lonely. She never really thought about her relationship with Roy, but now that he was gone she found herself missing his presence.

She reflected their relationship to be that of two siblings. They cared for one another, but not on an intimate level. Not to mention they drove each other crazy half the time. Of course at first she'd been afraid of what the relationship would become, the man was a womanizer after all, but she knew she had never wanted him as anything more than a brother. A brother that she was fiercely protective of.

She sat there drowning in her own thoughts, yelling at herself for not trying harder to conceal him, for an endless amount of time. At least that's what it felt like...after all time always moves slower when you want it to go faster.

But then something happened to distract her from such depressing thoughts...a sound she knew as well as a gunshot. A loud BANG echoed through the building, causing huge tremors to rack the foundations of the prison. She could hear shouting and men running and of course gunshots. Instinctively she jumped up and her hand went to her waist, only to be reminded she no longer had a gun. Suddenly she felt naked and afraid. She was nothing without her gun...as useless as Mustang in the rain.

So all she could do was wait for whatever was going to happen to occur. She couldn't figure it out, but dozens of possibilities ran through her mind each as possible as the last. She didn't have to long to think, because the answer came to her in the form of a door being blown open. She ducked to the side to avoid the door and tensed, ready for an attack.

* * *

*escapes* FINALLY FREE!!!! *runs around idiotically* he-he

_GET BACK HERE!_

NOT ON YOUR LIFE!

_*sighs* You didn't sleep at all last night did you?_

...is that really relevant in this conversation?

_You've got some serious issues don't you?_

You're a little slow aren't you?

_Once again ignore Rain...she gets a bit well um...like this when she doesn't sleep. Sorry if she totally freaked you guys out...._


	6. In the Family

**Dying Embers**

**Chapter 6**

**In the Family**

* * *

Sorry it took so long but my muse for this story went downward very fast. Finally it's coming back so *takes a deep breath* here goes nothing. (FYI: I update stories based on which has the most reviews…this currently has the least)

I don't really like this chapter...but the next one should be interesting...I'll try to update soon.

**Warnings: language**

* * *

Edward made his way back to the other room, Roy hot on his heels. The younger of the two's face was pulled into a strange smirk with a tinge of sadness in it. He'd told Roy most of the story today and painful memories kept resurfacing.

He didn't blame Mustang for that, no the man had needed to know what could possibly happen to him, but that didn't make it easier on him. He knew without a doubt he'd have nightmares tonight and that was something he wasn't looking forward to one bit. Subconsciously he reached up to grip the necklace around his neck. Nikki's warm presence spread out of it and into his body, but what would have normally comforted him made him feel worse. How could it not when he blamed himself for her death?

Suddenly a slight pressure on his left shoulder jolted him away from his thoughts. He blinked as he turned around confused. That's when he realized Roy had grabbed his shoulder. He fought to keep his damn face from getting red and betraying him. Even through the fabric his skin tingled at the touch…damn Mustang.

His golden eyes locked with those onyx ones and he forgot how to breathe. Damn he was getting girlier by the second. Still it wasn't hard to get lost in those powerful optics. He suddenly became aware that his heart rate was accelerating and he blinked a few times to unlock his trapped gaze. Then Roy spoke. "Are you okay?"

Ed was torn between being touched and annoyed. So the bastard actually cared? What did that mean? He stopped the thoughts there before his brain could take things to far…damn hormones. "I'm fine," said Edward, trying his best to sound annoyed.

Concern spread over those calm eyes and Ed's heart particularly soared. _Stop that!_ he hissed to himself. _He's a bastard not a…_

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have made you do that," said Roy detecting the lie. "You shouldn't have to relive something like that."

Was that…guilt? Edward very quickly stepped away from the older man, his gaze softening. "Don't worry about me I'll be fine…it was something you needed to know."

Roy looked like he wanted to say more but at that moment one of the doors slid open to reveal a group of men in uniform. Edward stiffened the men entered the room and instantly made his way to the back of the room, dragging Roy with him.

As soon as they reached the wall furthest from the door Ed whipped around and stared back at the door where sure enough…_she_ was standing. Edward cursed loudly as she began looking through the room, presumably for him.

Mustang blinked from the blonde-haired woman to him. "You know her?"

"Sadly," sighed Edward, waiting for her to notice him. "She's the whole reason the two worlds even connected."

At that moment she spotted him and made her way over to the two men. She however completely ignored Mustang and locked her cold gaze with Ed's. "It's been awhile Edward."

"To what do we owe this pleasant surprise Eckhart?" asked Edward in a sickly sweet voice.

Eckhart smirked at his sarcasm. "Pleasant indeed…I'm here because it's been awhile since we've had one of our little chats."

Edward sighed, "Surely you know me well enough to know my answer hasn't changed…nor will it ever."

"I know Ed, I know but we have something different to discuss," she paused her eyes locking with his for a moment. Then she turned and yelled. "Heiderich!"

Alfonse looked up from across the room. He hesitated before walking over clearly annoyed at the situation. Edward spoke the words that seemed to be plastered over his friend's, "This again?"

Eckhart turned and smacked him, which surprised everyone in the room. "This as you call it is the only reason this boy's still alive," she reminded Edward. Suddenly her eyes focused behind him to where Roy had obviously reacted. Finally noticing him her eyes trailed up and down his body before landing on the gloves. "Oh, so you're Roy Mustang."

Edward ignored the sting on his face and turned to stare at Roy, slightly shaking his head. If Roy had any brains at all he'd deny it and not get involved in this situation. He sighed when Roy opened his mouth and proved to Edward that he really had no brain at all. "I prefer the Flame Alchemist."

Edward shot him a glare, what was he doing? Roy evenly met his gaze which seemed strangely… his brain searched for a word that fit. Nothing seemed to work but then he found it and only became more confused. Since when was Roy protective of him?

"You three come with me," said Eckhart as she turned to walk out the door.

The three men exchanged glances before following the woman out the door and headed into whatever hell she had planned for them.

Already his body was aching at the thought of what could happen to him. Eckhart's "chats" hadn't exactly been pleasant experiences for him. Somehow the freak had been convinced that he would want to become a Nazi. She'd wasted several hours of her life trying to convince him to join the Nazi under her command…yeah right. Of course when he refused she wasn't exactly pleased…

So it was fair to say he was shocked when he was led into a room with only a single a television and a table. On the table was something that shocked him even more. His eyes lingered on the cloak, which caused Eckhart to smile. "You recognize it, I'm not surprised."

Ed ripped his gaze from his old red cloak before turning to look at her. "Where did you get that?"

Eckhart however ignored him and turned to speak to one of the men standing guard outside. "Fetch Woods for me," she ordered. She then walked over to the table and picked up the red cloak before tossing it to Alfonse. "Put it on."

Alfonse glanced at Edward, who nodded, before putting on the red jacket. He blinked looking confused. "Um…okay?"

The door slid open again to reveal a man with wild, black hair. He looked around nervously before his eyes landed on Alfonse. Eckhart smiled at his reaction and asked calmly. "Hello Woods now I just need you to tell me if this is the man you saw out by East City."

"W-well he looks a bit different than before…lighter hair and such bu-but I guess I could have been mistaken," stuttered the man.

Ed and Roy instantly turned to look at each other, both pairs of eyes slowly putting together the puzzle. "Thank you," Eckhart said. "You may leave."

The man nodded and left, as quickly as possible. Once he was gone Eckhart turned to stare at Edward. "You and I both know that there is one of each person in each world," she said quietly. "Apparently Heiderich's 'Other' broke into the camp near East City…the very one Mustang was transferred from."

As she spoke the TV flickered to life and a tape started to roll. It took Ed about three seconds to realize this was a security tape, and another four to recognize the figure on the screen…Riza Hawkeye.

* * *

The figure who'd blown in the door quickly stepped into the room. "Quick…run while you have the chance!" came the clear order. Hawkeye froze when she heard the voice…could it be?

With that the younger to the two Elric brothers came into view. He stepped into the room and glanced around impatiently. "Come on are you deaf!?"

With that everyone piled out of the room and into the hallway, almost trampling Alphonse. Hawkeye smiled at the boy, who grinned back when he noticed her. "Hawkeye! Thank the Gate I found one of you…where's Mustang?"

Hawkeye froze at the question. "I don't know…I believe he's been transferred to Central but…" she trailed off and Alphonse nodded with understanding. They both knew that more than likely Mustang wasn't their only companion there. Now it was her turn to ask the question. "What the hell is going on?"

"I got bored and decided to take matters into my own hands," he replied with a shrug.

She stared at him for a few moments...before she'd never really understood how two brothers could turn out so differently. That moment made her realize that their personalities were formed by each other…Al had become calm in order to balance out Edward's temper…while Edward had become untrusting to balance his brother's kind heart.

Suddenly he tossed something at her. She caught it and smiled as her hand curled comfortably around the gun. She cocked it and grinned at Alphonse. "C'mon let's go find out where they took Mustang."

The pair looked out into the hallway, which was empty except for a few unconscious guards that Alphonse had taken care of on the way in. She turned to him expectantly and he looked thoughtful. Finally he turned and walked away from the guards and the exit, saying. "You can leave if you want."

Hawkeye smiled and walked after him. Were all men so independent? Did they not realize they didn't have to do things alone? "I'm staying with you Alphonse…I need to know where Mustang is just as much as you do."

Alphonse nodded, looking grateful. She smiled at that, despite his maturity he was still a child and she couldn't blame him for wanting company. Very quickly they found a room inhabited by two cowardly soldiers.

After that day, Hawkeye never called Alphonse Elric a child again…not even in her head. Turns out Alphonse truly had inherited the infamous Elric temper. After watching him interrogate the two poor men she made a mental note to never do anything to find herself on the bad side of that temper.

When he exited the room Alphonse grinned mischievously at her. "What's wrong…you look surprised."

"I well…"

Alphonse stared at her with knowing eyes, "There are people who can be reasoned with then there are those with too much pride to listen to reason…and then there are those who are too stupid to even understand it. Those men fell into the later category. The only way to get anything out of those kind of men is to scare it out of them."

Hawkeye stared at him a smile forming on her face. "You are a very interesting person Alphonse."

"What did you expect, look who I grew up with," said Alphonse smiling. "Besides being interesting sorta runs in the family."

* * *

"So Edward…care to tell me who this mystery person is?" asked Eckhart, who by now was sitting down on top of the table, staring at the group, "And how he managed to take down a military camp all on his own."

Edward turned to stare at Eckhart, a grin forming on his face. "What's wrong Eckhart? Surely by now you've noticed that causing trouble runs in the family."

* * *

Finally done! *dances off to go work on OTHER story*


	7. Embarrassment

**Dying Embers**

**Chapter 7**

**Embarrassment **

* * *

Alright so this story still has the least reviews, but the most alerts. I'm sorry this took so long, but I do have a life (sorta) and my muse has been dead for the past week or so. I will try to update this more often because I refuse to give up on this. Review please XD (I need it…it's like coffee)

Oh and as for warnings, unless there's something in particular I'm worried about it's the same as always

* * *

Beside him Edward shuffled awkwardly as they stared at the uncomfortable looking bunk beds. Roy stared down at the younger alchemist curiously. "Uh…what's wrong?" he asked warily.

Edward glanced up at him and visibly turned the color of a cherry. Roy smirked at this until he heard the boy's answer. "Well did you see how many alchemists there were out there?" he asked gesturing back toward the main room. Roy nodded and asked what his point was. Ed stared up at him in annoyance and before he could stop it a strange thought crossed through his mind. _He looks so cute when he makes that face._

He was so dazed at this thought that he almost missed Edward's response. It hit his ears a few seconds too late and understanding dawned on him. "Oh…I see." If he would have had to guess he would have said there were roughly thirty or forty alchemists here, whilst there were only six beds.

"Hate to break it to you but you either share a bed or grab a part of the wall," sighed Edward making his way over to the furthest wall. His small body gently slid down the wall, even though only one of the beds was occupied. Roy shrugged and made his way over to the wall before falling down next to the blonde before staring at him questioningly. Edward smiled knowingly. "I'm healthy…it makes no sense for me to have one. Besides," he paused mischievously. "The beds are more like a board of wood than a bed."

Roy rolled his eyes down at Edward, "What a very noble sacrifice on your part." They sat there teasing each other for a little longer before everyone else started to pile into the room. Everyone crowded onto a bed and once they were full more people joined them on the wall. Roy's dark eyes followed Suzume and Ian as they curled up beside each other on one of the 'wooden boards'. He turned to Ed and asked quietly. "Are they…together?"

Edward shook his head and glanced downward as he spoke. "No, but that doesn't mean they aren't close. After you've been through hell with someone…there's no such thing as awkward, surely you understand that of all people."

When Roy awoke the next morning he was more than a little confused. Where was Hawkeye…and why was there a weight on his shoulder? He glanced down and it all came flooding back to him, along with the bright flush of his skin as he realized the weight was in fact none other than Ed.

How was he supposed to get out of this one? He had two options, wait until Ed woke up…or try to move him and risk waking him up. Either way he was pretty sure the blonde wouldn't be very pleased. He closed his eyes, trying to ignore the fact that this didn't bother him nearly as much as it should. In fact it felt kind of nice…

Through narrowed eyes he stared down at the other man. He looked so peaceful, so calm and so perfect…wait did he really just think that? Suddenly Ed shifted and Roy stiffened, waiting for those golden orbs to open. However it settled into relief as he nuzzled closer to the warmth of Roy's body. These emotions were nothing compared to the shock of what came next. As Fullmetal shifted one name fell from those lips, "Roy."

He stared at him, wondering if he were imagining things. Once he proved via pinch that he was indeed aware of his surroundings his curiosity began to take hold of him. So Fullmetal was dreaming about him huh? A slightly evil smirk played on his face. Well things certainly just got more interesting. Wait what was he doing!? Ed wasn't some toy to manipulate. He wasn't like those other women who…

Roy growled at himself. Since when did he start connecting Edward with women? He ran his hand through his hair. However as he moved to do this his eyes met the blue gaze of none other than Alfonse. The other-Al's eyes gleamed as Roy spotted him and he slowly stood up from one of the walls and made his way over.

The boy sat down besides Roy and turned and said. "Hi, I haven't got the chance to talk to you yet and I've been dying to meet you."

"You're German?" asked Roy suspiciously.

Alfonse's eyes darkened at that. "Rather blunt and to the point are we? Yes I am German, but I am not a Nazi."

Roy nodded with relief, only to have another question pop into his head. "So why are you here?"

Alfonse nodded at the sleeping mass that was Ed. After a few moments of staring at him Al looked back up at Roy with guilt filled eyes. "Him actually…the theory is if I'm stuck in here too Ed wouldn't leave me behind and it'd be much easier to notice two people missing than one person."

Roy blinked at Alfonse and then down at Ed. That sounded about right, the Nazi knew what they were doing…he'd give them that much at least. "So how do you know me?"

Alfonse smiled a bit at that. "At first I thought Ed just had the most creative imagination I'd ever seen…all those stories he told about alchemy. He'd tell me them all the time…how the Fullmetal Alchemist did this and how the Flame Colonel did that…he talked about you a lot, even before we ended up in this place. Still I never thought you were real and I never knew those stories were about him."

Roy smiled at Alfonse. He liked this kid, he was a bit like Alphonse…but yet there was something different about him. He knew what it was too. He had the strange feeling that this is what Alphonse had been like if he'd grown up without Edward as a brother. "Do you know alchemy?"

"Ed tried to teach me a bit…but I don't have much natural talent," said Alfonse, not at all dejected. "I leave most of that with him. He can keep the magic mumbo jumbo…I'll stick to science."

"Alchemy is science," came the quiet voice. Both men turned to stared at Edward who's gaze was locked with Alfonse's. Then slowly he began to realize the situation. He turned a violent shade of crimson and jerked up. Roy's body protested that action, but he didn't dare voice it. Ed looked torn between angry and embarrassed and then there was something else…shock?

"Did you have a good night?" asked Alfonse as if Ed sleeping on Roy was the most natural thing in the world. Edward turned to him and nodded curtly before sending a glare at Roy. "Why didn't you wake me up!?"

"You didn't seem to object to it a few minutes ago," teased Alfonse, causing both of the other men to stare at him open-mouthed. With that the German smiled and added something in German. Edward turned pale at the comment and looked away as his friend stood up and walked away, leaving them alone.

Roy stared at Edward for a moment before asking, "What did he say?" Edward's response was to stand and shake his head before stalking after the German, ignoring Roy's shout of protest. Then suddenly as if his hearing was delayed Edward paused and looked back.

"I'm sick of this Mustang," he said quietly. Roy stared at him confused, taking in his posture and emotion. Very carefully he made his way over to the younger man in order to hear him better. "It's only a matter of time before they start messing with you too. I won't let that happen…I won't let them touch anyone ever again…I think it's time to try again."

"Try what again?" asked Roy skeptically. He wasn't sure how to take Edward's words, but he couldn't keep the pleased feeling away as he realized that he was concerned for him.

Edward glanced up at Roy and sent a huge grin at him. "Escaping."

* * *

Alphonse and Hawkeye made their way through the ruins that was previously East City. Rubble was piled everywhere, which was actually working in their advantage. They knew Nazi soldiers would be looking around and trying to round up the rest of the escapees and the rubble would provide good cover. Unlike most of the country this area had not been bombed. Instead it had been where most of the fighting had happened. Even now one could see a body or two hidden beneath the torn buildings.

Finally they skidded to a halt, resting their hands on their knees and panting. Alphonse stared at the ground, carefully thinking things through and what his next action would be. Then suddenly he was distracted by an unusual sound. He looked up startled, only to grin at what he saw.

Hawkeye was stand, her arms outstretched and staring at the sky. A soft laughter filled with pure and innocent joy fell from her lips as her strict professional mask fell away. Alphonse smiled and straightened up to watch her. Something about seeing her like this sparked a fire within him. Determination blazed within him as he watched her realize and embrace the fact that she was free. He'd do whatever it took to see his brother and Mustang like this.

She turned to look at him as an embarrassment settled over her face. "Oh no, don't mind me," he said cheerfully. She smiled back at him before glancing back toward the sky. "This is the first time I've seen the sky since that day," she whispered.

Alphonse nodded at her, knowing exactly what she was talking about. It had been the day Mustang had ordered him and the rest of his subordinates to Xing. Havoc and Breda had been forced to drag Al away however no one even tried to talk Hawkeye out of staying beside Mustang. They knew it was pointless. That had been the same day East City had fallen…and Roy and Riza had lost their freedom. "I'm sorry it took so long."

Hawkeye stared into his silver eyes for a few long moments before saying. "There are others we need to find Alphonse." He nodded and once more started through the rubble. It took perhaps ten more minutes for them to find what they were looking for. Finally he found it…a phone booth.

He dug in his pockets and pulled out some spare change. He quickly inserted it into the phone and held it up to his ear. Outside the booth Hawkeye stood stiffly, looking for signs of life. Thankfully the phone worked and soon enough he was put through to Xing.

_Hello?_

The voice was wary, but familiar and he smiled and said. "Hey Fuery."

_Alphonse?_

"The one and only," he grinned. In the background he heard an anxious voice. _Al!? It's Al is he okay!?_ "Tell Winry not to worry and that I'm fine."

Fuery did as he was asked and then asked Alphonse the question he knew was coming. _Any luck?_

"No Mustang," he said quietly and was greeted by silence. "However I've got Hawkeye and…I know where Mustang and Brother are."

Joy burst through on the other end and suddenly Fuery's voice disappeared and was replaced by another familiar voice. _Al can I talk to Riza?_

Alphonse smiled, "Sure Havoc." He then traded places with a rather stunned looking Riza and began to scan the area. He turned to see Hawkeye blushing and he wondered what Havoc was saying. Then suddenly a loud clang startled him. His head shot up to see a shadow standing in the center of the road they were on. The figure did not move, or acknowledge them in any way…and it was too small to belong to any adult. Since it was too dark to see the person's face Alphonse did the only thing he really could do. He took a step toward the shadow and asked nervously. "Hello?"

* * *

So I actually enjoyed typing this chapter...finally getting to the exciting stuff (yayz) Until next week (I promise this time)

~Rain


	8. Fight or Flight

**Dying Embers**

**Chapter 8**

**Fight or Flight**

* * *

Gah I'm so sorry guys I know I promised in all but not only has my muse been dead but my parents keep doing that whole "oh you spend too much time on the computer" thing. *glares at them* Yell at them…not me, please *hides behind Edward*

* * *

The shadow remained where it stood as Alphonse called out to it. Al's hands had instantly come up in front of his chest, prepared to clap together at a moment's notice. He knew without looking Hawkeye was just as tense as he was. The sound of her preparing her gun proved his theory correct. The ancient instinctive choice flew through his had, fight or flight? Which one would get them out of the situation? Clearly his body had already decided on the first. However that was until the figure spoke. The uncertain question that fell from the human sent a wave of shock through the alchemist's body. "A-Alphonse?"

The voice was cracked from lack of use. Despite that it was still clear that it belonged to a young male, probably somewhere around Alphonse's age…or at least the age of his body. As the boy had spoken he stepped forward allowing his features to become more distinguishable in the darkness. The boy's clothes were tattered rags and through a particularly large gash in the clothing his ribs were clearly visible. His young face was made old by stress lines covering the features. Shadows covered under his bloodshot eyes, which were a startling red color.

Alphonse tilted his head curiously as his body slowly relaxed. "Um do I know you…?" he asked, his voice relieved and calmer than it had been at first. Still behind him he knew Hawkeye was tense and ready to pull the trigger.

The boy mirrored Al's head-tilt and his tired eyes blinked twice before he spoke. "Oh I get it," he whispered, staring at Alphonse intently. Said alchemist started to feel uneasy when the strange child began speaking to himself. "You're too young to be him, but that must mean…you're Ed's Alphonse."

In one quick moment Alphonse was standing in front of the boy. "You've seen Brother?" he asked hopefully, staring back into those eyes. The boy did not respond, he just simply let his gaze travel around the clearing. Those bloody orbs paused on Hawkeye's gun for a moment, only for their owner's shoulders to shrug slightly.

As soon as the boy moved he suddenly curled in on himself, falling onto his knees. He began to cough harshly. Blood speckled the ground as he hand subconsciously made its way up to his hand. The weak body heaved as his eyes were closed tightly in pain. His body was trembling and Alphonse instantly scrambled forward toward the boy. As he neared a few stuttered words fell from those split lips. "I-I…I need to get b-back to t-them," he whispered, eyes glazed over in pain. "B-before it's too l-late."

* * *

"And how exactly do you intend to do that!?" demanded Suzume irritably as soon as the word 'escape' had left his mouth. Her hands were now on her hips and a scowl plastered onto her face. "You remember what happened last time don't you!?"

Edward let out a heavy sigh. Well he could hardly blame her for objecting; in fact he'd actually been expecting it. "I am well aware Suzume," he said gently. "But just because there were a few mistakes last time…"

"Few!? The whole damn thing was a mistake!" growled Suzume, turning to Ian for support. The man looked awkwardly around the room. The three, along with Roy and Alfonse were standing in the room with the beds. When he remained silent, unable to meet her gaze, Suzume turned and glared at Edward. Yet this time when she spoke her voice was much quieter. "I don't want to lose anyone else."

Golden eyes flashed with guilt before looking away. "I know," he said his tone just as soft. "But if we stay here…" He couldn't stop his eyes from flashing to Roy as he spoke.

Suzume's own blue eyes followed his gaze and her eyes widened, "You don't think that they'd…" Ian and Edward exchanged knowing glances and both of them nodded, causing Suzume's eyes to flash with anger. "Those bastards!"

Everyone in the room jumped at her sudden mood swing and Edward stared at her curiously. "I wasn't aware you cared about that."

"I don't," she said defensively. "I just wouldn't wish that fate upon anyone and besides that'd be like letting them win."

"So you'll do it?" demanded Edward grimly.

"What's the plan?"

At this Roy stepped forward and began to speak. "Well first things first, Fullmetal's useless without an arm so…"

"You haven't told him?" asked Ian quietly, a smirk beginning to form on his face.

"Told me what?"

Alfonse glanced at Edward before speaking, trying to get the conversation back on course. "I don't really know very much about any of this but why don't we focus on a larger scale?" Every pair of optics fell onto Al as he shuffled nervously. "Well um you see escaping won't do us much good considering that the Nazi control almost everything from here to Xing."

Edward's eyes focused on Al thoughtfully for a few moments finally he spoke; only this time it was in German. "Are you suggesting what I think you're suggesting?"

"Well why not?" replied Al, naturally shifting into his native tongue.

"Because it's too big of a job for just us," replied Edward quietly. "It'd be practically suicidal."

"You know I hate it when you guys do that!" growled Suzume, glaring at the pair. Judging by the look in Roy and Ian's eyes the feeling was mutual. "Amestrian please."

Blue eyes blinked slowly before Alfonse quickly converted to Amestrian. "I'm suggesting instead of running from them we should get rid of them. You know fighting as opposed to taking flight?"

"And how do you expect us to do that?" asked Ian both calmly and curiously.

"We can't," sighed Edward. "There's no way the five of us could pull it off."

"Since when has impossible ever stood in your way Fullmetal?" demanded Roy quietly. Edward turned toward the older man whose dark eyes were burning with an inner fire. "Did it stop you from human transmutation? Did it stop you from becoming a dog of the military? Did it stop you from finding your way back here? It didn't stop you back then, so why does it stop you now?"

The alchemist stared at his superior for a few moments, his eyes gleaming with shock. Indecision flashed in those optics for a few moments before his face twisted into one of concentration. His hand came up to cover the scar on his forehead and his now closed eyes as he lost himself in his thoughts.

Without opening his eyes Edward finally spoke. "There is only one logical way this would work. We'd have to destroy the portals to the Gates on both sides." When he spoke his voice was reluctant, but resigned. He knew Alfonse was right, if they escaped they'd just have to go into a life of hiding. The only way to ensure their long term safety would be to totally eliminate the threat.

"Um wouldn't it be rather difficult to get to the other side, let alone get back?" asked Roy curiously, his dark eyes scheming.

"Actually there's a portal in this very building," said Edward quietly. "They built this facility around it in order to research it and to make it easier to transport supplies between the worlds."

"So that just leaves one question," sighed Ian, as if he assumed they would go through with this. "Who crosses over into freedom and who stays behind and waits for it?"

There was silence for a moment before anyone spoke up. First to do so was Alfonse, who after exchanging a quick glance with Ed he spoke, "Well obviously it should be Ed and me. We both speak German fluently and would be able to gather information quicker."

"But Edward's bound to draw attention," said Suzume quietly. "Even if he didn't have that scar on his forehead there aren't too many armless guys running around out there."

"The arm's not a problem, they're keeping it over there anyway," sighed Edward as his fingers ran over the swastika scarred into his flesh. "I think Al's right."

There was no mistaking Edward's quiet tone. He was no fool; he knew once he crossed over there would be no going back. In the end everything that had happen would have been for nothing. Almost as if reading his mind Roy spoke up. "How will you get back?"

Everyone looked away, unwilling to meet his gaze and answer his question. Their silence was answer enough for him anyway. Edward heard the man move, but was still unprepared for what happened next. The warmth of Roy's hand cupped under his chin and pulled his head up so their gazes could meet. He tried to pull away but the moment their eyes locked he found that impossible. Deep within those onyx eyes emotions swirled up, testing the man's mask and tantalizing Ed. When the man spoke his voice clearly said his mind was made up and there would be no talking him out of this one. "I'm coming to."

* * *

Gold…he hated the color. For the longest time that's all he'd seen, that damn golden light beneath him. It washed the entire room, causing more and more of the stupid color, constantly reminding him of his 'family'.

The color was the exact shade of that bastard's eyes, not that he was able to use them anymore. Nope he'd taken care of that long ago. He had finally completed his goal, killing his…fath- Hoenheim. Still his task was not complete; he still had two more annoyances to get rid of. Until he got rid of the last pieces of trash he would not allow himself to die.

That had been his only motivation to cling to life. Over the past few months he'd slowly grown stronger and began to wake up from the strange slumber he'd been in. It had taken time and effort but he was finally able to remain conscious for long periods of time. Still he didn't have enough energy to change shape. He chuckled quietly at that, ignoring the weak trembles that ran through his long serpent body.

Oh yes the Elric brothers were lucky for that. It was the only thing keeping them alive at the moment. The instant he could return to human form the pair were as good as dead. He'd spent his days daydreaming about how he'd do it. Oh no there would be no quick death for them, he wanted it to be long and drawn out. He'd make them cry out in agony before he killed them. No even better…he'd make them beg for death. They would pay for carrying on that cursed bloodline.

The younger would go first, after all he looked nothing like _that man_. His looks had saved him from too much agony, while the others looks had cursed him. Ed not only shared the bastard's blood, but his face as well. Oh yes he could practically here the chibi's screams now, and it sent thrills of pleasure down his fragile body.

_Soon Fullmetal, soon_

* * *

Sorry couldn't resist bringing him in *huggles him* I hate/love him to death XD and well the plot's finally seemed to click into place. It looks like this'll be a lot longer than I first intended. Next chapter's fun D Review and I swear (i don't care what my parents say i'm keeping this promise this time) I'll update by the end of next weekend. School will be out so it could possibly be sooner. Anyway for those of you out of school I hope you're having a fun summer, for those of you who are still trapped like me good luck with finals and making it out alive.


	9. Through the Gate

**Dying Embers**

**Chapter 9**

**Through the Gate**

* * *

Hey, it's been a long time. I'm so sorry guys. I have excuses, but you all probably don't want to hear them. If you really do send me a message and I'll explain, otherwise enjoy the next chapter. It's not as smooth as I had hoped it'd be but...

* * *

"Fullmetal's useless without his arm!"

Roy's dark eyes rolled at the pathetic attempt to imitate his own voice. He was currently very confused, and feeling very left out. How was it fair that he was the only one out of the loop? This is what he brooded about as he leaned against one of the many walls with his arms crossed and a scowl plastered on his pale features.

Although he could choose to appear otherwise Roy was not a patient man. Sure, give him politics and he could deal with that, but there was one key difference in waiting for government officials and waiting for Edward's plan…he only had control in one of those situations. Currently he had very little power over what would happen and that fact put him in a rather foul mood. "What's going on?" he demanded angrily.

"Oh just shut up and watch Colonel Bastard," said Ed distractedly as he paced through the room. "Maybe if you watch closely enough you'll see something new."

A certain pyromaniac's mouth opened to respond, however he never got the chance. At that moment there was a loud bang and the ground started to rumble. Somehow his shock slipped passed his mask as he steadied himself against the wall. "What the hell Fullmetal?"

Edward just smiled at Roy and said in a cheesy, yet ominous tone, "It's time." Roy was tempted to snap right then and there and roast himself some Fullmetal. He knew the runt was mocking him, purposely being blunt and cryptic just to piss him off. Well if that's the way he wanted it…

For the second time that day Roy was stopped by surprise. However this time it was something much less noticeable than a loud sound. Edward's eyes lit up with the comfortingly familiar fire of alchemy. Roy could sense the power building up behind Edward and expected him to raise his arm up to his auto-mail port. However what really happened was much simpler and much more inconspicuous. Edward smiled, and all hell broke loose

* * *

A dark blond head hovered over the limp body; waiting for those red eyes to blink open. In all honesty Alphonse was beginning to worry about the strange boy. He'd been out for a couple hours now. Eventually he turned to Hawkeye and asked for about the millionth time. "When do you think he'll wake up?"

Her unique eyes closed as she let out a deep sigh. "I just don't know Alphonse," she paused and opened her eyes, which contained a protective gleam. "He might not."

The short silence that followed was filled with tension so thick you could almost taste it. Thankfully the boy chose that moment to let out a huge gasp and start coughing. Both pairs of eyes flashed toward the body, only to widen with horror as the coughs grew harsher.

Familiar red liquid spilled from the boy's mouth as his eyes flew open and he instinctively curled up into a ball. Al and Hawkeye watched helplessly as the boy struggled to control his own body. Finally he managed to uncurl his body and blink up at the pair with distant eyes. "Alphonse Elric right?" he demanded, wincing slightly. After a shocked nod from said alchemist the stranger pushed himself into a sitting position. "I'm Kotaka."

Blood shot eyes flashed up and down Al's body before a small smile spread across that pale face, "Heh and I thought he was kidding when he said you looked like Heiderich." The boy paused, studying Alphonse carefully before announcing, "Well actually you're a bit younger looking."

Al tilted his head in confusion, while Hawkeye watched the boy with analyzing eyes. "What are you doing out here?"

The boy glanced at Hawkeye, then out across the horizon before finally answering her. "I was trying to get to Xing. I heard that's where everyone was hiding, so it seemed like a logical place to get help."

"Are you alone?" asked Hawkeye, her eyes gleaming with a slightly concerned light. When he didn't respond she tried another question. "How long have you be-"

"Been out here?" he interrupted. "Weeks, months, I'm not sure. I haven't kept track of time in years."

Alphonse looked at him in disbelief. There was no way a kid as sick as this could survive that long on his own. However, before he could question it the red-eyed child spoke. "I supposed I shouldn't ask why you're out here. You're looking for Ed aren't you?"

* * *

"Why are you just standing there!? Move!"

Edward flashed passed Roy, grabbed his arm, and was off. Roy blinked as he was dragged off, attempting to understand what had just happened. Hell he wasn't even sure if it was possible and if even it was possible then why were all these people still trapped here?

"Snap out of it Roy!"

Edward's use of his first name brought Mustang back to the presence. Resisting the urge to slap himself for being so stupid Roy Mustang ran after Edward through the huge hole the later had just created. The Fullmetal Alchemist led him through the maze of hallways with surprising ease. It was almost too easy. Something was up, where were the guards? Why weren't they being followed?

Once more than ground shook and the dark haired man was stuck with a certain epiphany. Were the others being used as decoys? Edward glanced back and the obvious worry in those golden eyes told Roy that he wasn't mistaken. His heart lurched slightly as he realized exactly what that meant. Those people, those strangers were risking everything just to give them a chance. Gratitude and guilt welled up inside him as he came to the slight realization that he may never see any of them again. Each step took him farther away from everything he knew and toward the homeland of the Nazis.

He glanced back over his shoulders and sent a silent thanks to all the people who were helping them. Then, reluctantly he said goodbye, to all the people who were waiting for him to return to a home that he could no longer call his own.

Then he faced forward to find Edward waiting for him in front of a pair of large doors. The young man had an odd expression on his face. Roy blinked at him before asking quietly, "What's wrong?"

Edward glanced at the doors before turning all the emotion in those tawny eyes onto him, "Once we step foot in this next room there will be no going back. We won't even be able to come back to this world, and we will have no home in that world. Even if we can destroy all the passageways to this world, the odds of us making it out of Germany alive are small."

Roy stared down at him with steely eyes. "What's you're point Fullmetal?"

"You…" Ed glanced away once more, before speaking in a quiet, almost painful tone, "Should stay."

Shock danced briefly on his pale features before Roy's hand tightened into a fist. Then slowly, his other hand reached up and rested gently over the swastika that those damn Nazis had carved into Edward's forehead. Anger blazed in those dark blue eyes and added a harsh layer to his normally smooth timbre. "Do you honestly want to spend the rest of your life trapped over there completely alone? Do you honestly think I'll let you do that!?"

Edward's cheeks flushed momentarily as he stared at Roy with an odd frown. "But…why?"

"Because I…" he trailed off, unsure of how to answer that question. They stood there in the silence for the longest time, just staring at each other, trying to understand. Tension crackled in the air between them and Roy was struck by a sudden impulse to reach down and… "Just open the goddamn door Fullmetal!"

Edward looked away and hesitated, causing Mustang to threaten to make it an order. Ed smiled sadly at that, before knocking Mustang's hand aside and throwing Roy an impish look. "I'm not under your command anymore Colonel." Then, ignoring Roy's reminder that he was a General, Edward threw the doors open.

Golden light poured outward from the room and Ed's eyes gleamed with nostalgia. He moved forward slowly and Roy cautiously followed him, slightly concerned with the way Edward was staring at the glow. "Ed…?"

Edward turned to him, blinked once and set off to toward an odd flying machine that sat on the other side of the room. The room itself was one huge circle and upon closer inspection Roy found that they were currently standing on a circular balcony that hung over a huge pit. Momentarily forgetting Fullmetal, Roy peered over the cold railing and into the pit. At the very bottom, a huge, swirling golden mass that seemed oddly threatening. Roy stared in awe, until a suddenly noise caught his attention.

He looked up, just in time to see something fling itself at Ed's back. Panic flaring in his heart, Roy snapped on instinct. The creature fell back with a cry of agony as Roy was filled with relief. However, that emotion was short lived as the creature started laughing and taking a shape.

His eyes widened as he recognized the regeneration. It was exactly the same as it'd been back then…with Bradley, the homunculus. Edward stared at the homunculus in shock as the odd creature turned to Roy and said playfully. "Ow, that tickled."

"Envy!?"

The creature turned to face Edward with a sick grin. "It's been awhile hasn't it, Fullmetal Pipsqueak?"

As Edward went off on one of his infamous rants, Roy studied the homunculus. If he had to guess he'd say it was male, but he couldn't really tell. It wore all black and had odd hair that reminded him faintly of a palm tree. Over all, it was a very odd creature.

"How did you survive!?" demanded Edward.

Envy stretched his hands above his head as if he were just waking up and said mockingly, "What can I say? I guess the Gate's taken a liking to me."

Out of nowhere a spike shot out of the ground, straight through Envy's chest. The creature's body went limp for a moment, before regaining life again. He chuckled quietly as he lifted his head, wiping blood off his jaw as he did so, and opened his mouth to speak.

However, before he could another voice interrupted the creature. Despite his lack of knowledge about the German language, even Roy could understand that the voice meant bad news. Sure enough, ten seconds later a bullet hit the ground at feet with a metallic sound, causing them to turn and see a pair of guards standing in the doorway.

Suddenly a loud shout from Edward echoed through the room and Roy turned to see Envy grab the young alchemist's wrist and fling him toward the edge of the balcony. Edward regained balance and looked up, only to find himself staring down the barrel of a gun. Envy smiled and pressed the cold metal against Ed's head. "Say hello to father for me."

Roy held his breathe as each person in the room waited for the gun to sound. However, to everyone's shock Envy lowered it with a thoughtful smile and stepped forward. "I think it's time I visited our other brother!"

Edward moved forward as his eyes widened with protective horror, but that was exactly what Envy wanted. As Ed stepped forward, Envy pushed back, sending the off balanced alchemist falling down into the glowing light of the Gate.

Roy's mind disconnected from his body as it rushed forward, after Edward. He wasn't quite sure what made him do it, but suddenly he found himself flying through the air after Ed. Then together the two alchemists headed toward the light at the end of the tunnel.

* * *

So, I'm not going to take so long between updates and I'll try to get one up at least once a month. I'll also be working on re-writing all my stories in order to make them flow better. I'll let you all know when I'm done modifying Dying Embers in case you want to re-read it or something. Also from here on out my chapters will be getting longer...just an FYI. Anyway thanks for sticking with me this long.


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